The present disclosure relates to a network equipment that is connected to a wired LAN network and a wireless LAN network.
In a typical image forming apparatus such as MFP (Multifunction Peripheral) including a multifunction printer and a multifunction machine, it is configured to be able to connect to a user terminal such as a PC (Personal Computer) and to a portable terminal such as a smartphone via a wired LAN (Local Area Network) network and a wireless LAN network.
Further, some of models of the typical image forming apparatus are designed to be able to perform wireless communication of data reception such as print data and instruction data reception such as a printing instruction via a P2P (Peer to peer) connection with a portable terminal not via an access point. Note that a Wi-Fi direct (registered trademark) is generally used as the P2P connection.
As an image forming apparatus compatible with such P2P connection, it has been proposed, as a typical technology, a technology which is capable of automatically switching, at a timing according to an operation state of the image forming apparatus per se between a wireless communication via a P2P connection or a wireless communication via an access point.
Namely, a communication device (printing device) controls communication with an external device, in communication mode either of a first wireless communication mode (or wired communication mode) or a second wireless communication mode. When an operation state of the communication device (printing device) transits to an other state such as a power saving state, or the like, if a communication mode is set to the second wireless communication mode, the communication device (printing device) switches the communication mode to the first wireless communication mode (or wired communication mode).